Christian and I spent a week in Portugal. We were based in Lisbon and took a day trip to Sintra and a spent a weekend in Sesimbra.
Portugal
Lisbon (Monday, 17 April 2006)
We are back in Lisbon, after spending the weekend in the little sea-side town called Sesimbra. What can I say - it was lovely and very relaxed. The fellow at the Sesimbra tourism office said the weather was not very good when it could be almost 40 degrees in the summer. He had such a deep tan already at this time of year as he was telling us this; I am thinking it must be really rough living here! Christian and I were very happy that it was in the twenties.
We left London last Wednesday; London was especially miserable on the Tuesday that week; I recall how on that day, I went to a local pub for lunch; I remarked to the lady publican that this is supposed to be spring but it was so cold and rainy outside; she agreed with me and when I told her I was off on holiday the next day, she remarked how jealous she was but she still smiled when she said it. We arrived in the morning in Lisbon after having very little sleep; the flight was at 6 in the morning which meant; I got a 3 hour nap before taking a taxi to the train station to then catch a train to the airport; Christian was up all night mixing his latest album; the project is called UK States.
Anyway, back to Portugal, we had spend a few days doing the sights and eating seafood on a regular basis. Over the last week, we have eaten things like:
swordfish
red mullet
prawns
tiger prawns
monkfish
prawns in a fried pastry
tuna croquettes
bacalhau - dried salted codfish
In fact, most of the restaurants that we ate did mostly seafood, with some pork and beef dishes. Chicken was not something we saw on the menu typically. The cooking is basic but very good. The portions here are huge; sometimes I thought they made a mistake and brought a dish meant for two. Last night, I ordered a monkfish and prawn stew; I could only manage to eat half of it. I asked the waitress if this was a mistake and she said no this is how it is in Portugal. We also stopped in cafes which is what you do here. We had some of the custard tarts that Portugal is famous for. The Portuguese do get more elaborate when it comes to cakes. We also went to Brazilian restaurant for lunch and after we had polished off the meal the waiter asked if we would like more. The food kept coming; we did say bring us a little not too much.
We did go out for a curry one night in the “Barrio Alto”; I kept with the seafood theme and had a prawn dish. The restaurant is called Calcuta . Thinking about it, Portugal has a long standing relation ship with India. Did you know the masochistic dish called a Vindaloo actually is named from the Portuguese dish "Vinha d'Alho"; in Goa they added chilli to the dish. The one and only time that I tried a Vindaloo was in a Indian restaurant in Windsor; it was an ordeal to eat.
In Lisbon, we went to the Casteljo do Sao George and took in the view of the city; the castle is situated on a hill near the coast on the first day.
On our second day in Lisbon, we went on a tour bus and stopped over in Belem to see, one of the funkiest fortresses that I have ever seen, the Torre del Belem. It is situated on the water just offshore. We also went to a museum of modern art and saw the Frida Kahlo exhibit that was on tour; it was recently in London and I missed it and I was so chuffed to get a chance to see it here. Thee exhibit was laid out like a biography following Frida’s life with her works and photographs. She is an artist I have heard of and knew a little about; the exhibit was very good and quite heavy with all mention of the tragedies in her life. To lighten the mood, we then took in the design exhibit in the same complex. The exhibit had pieces by Philip Stark and Ettorio Sostas to name a few.
Portugal - part 2
Here, I am trying to remember what happened 2 months ago; well, getting things in the right order is the hard part. It is now June as I type this.
Looking back, Portugal was very chilled out and a it was good pace that we kept. I would definitely go back for another visit.
It is quite funny how things don't always work out when on holiday; a few times, we went to check out restaurants mentioned in the guide book to only find they were no longer open for business. That is why phoning ahead can be a good move.
Fado
Fado could be described as Portuguese blues. It's origin are unclear from what I have read. Fado Link
We did go to a fado restaurant called "Sinhor Vinho". This was a very traditional style restaurant. Christian had to point out to me that the guy with the wine list was a sommelier. I don't go to restaurants that have such a person. There was about five different singers in the evening singing Fado. I really like the singing one man who also played something like a ukulele. I ordered the bacalhau for a main course; this dish is made from dried salted codfish. I did not like it very much; I think it is an acquired taste. I know what it tastes like and I don't think I need to try it again. Wikipedia Link. I would definitely like to hear Fado again however.
One thing about Lisboa, is that is very hilly; it was a like a hike to get to the restaurant from the hotel. I am can walk for hours on flat land but Portugal was wearing me out a bit and you need to wear footwear with good traction. Much of the pavement is so smooth from all the people walking on it for years and years. I had to be on my guard to avoid slipping.
Before leaving Lisboa to catch the train to Madrid, we go to another Fado restaurant, we did not have time for the music as we had a train to catch; the waitress thought we were bonkers to just come to the restaurant to eat; she was having fun with us. I did find the Portuguese have a good sense of humor. I asked her to bring me a smaller portion of food; what I was served was still quite a meal. I had Pork cooked with an orange sauce if I recall.
We also did have some have some flaming sausage! This place was also definitely worth another look in.
Cabo Espichel
While staying in Sesimbra, we took a bus to visit the abandoned monastery and lighthouse at Cabo Espichel. What had me really excited is we were told there were dinosaur tracks there. But what we did not find out until we got there was that you had to get down to the beach to see them and I did not feel like climbing down any cliff faces that day.
Dinosaur footprints (in Portuguese)
Sintra
Absolutely gorgeous; I am glad that Christian and I went to Sintra. What a picturesque town surrounded by greenery with a hill that features the remains of a Moorish fortress and a Royal Palace.
The Pena National Palace was something to behold; it is incredibly ornate. The site was a Franciscan monastery in the 16th century; the Palace was built in the 19th century.
Communist Lunch?
On our third day in Portugal, we went to the former headquarters of the communist party for lunch in Lisboa. Not, very bleak totalitarian decor at all. I need to check with Christian what the name of the place is.